The 20 best cliffhanger endings in movies

In the last twenty minutes of Avengers: Infinity War, audiences expected the Avengers to stop Thanos from finding the Infinity Stones and save the day like they always do. However, the opposite happens. Our heroes fail, and Thanos wipes out half of the entire universe as beloved characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and more disintegrate before our eyes. It is a rare case in a superhero movie where the villain wins, setting up the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Warner Brothers split the final Harry Potter installment into two parts, making audiences wait patiently for the conclusion of one of the biggest film franchises ever. Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ends with Voldemort breaking into Dumbledore’s tomb and retrieving the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world, and one of the Deathly Hallows. Harry, Ron and Hermione, hopeless after the death of Dobby, seemingly stand no chance against Voldemort and his army now. 

The brilliantly animated Spider-Verse films follow Miles Morales as he explores the multiverse and meets other Spidey heroes like him. At the end of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles escapes the Spider Society headquarters and seemingly travels back to his own dimension. However, he realizes he was sent to the wrong universe and comes face to face with a villainous version of himself. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will explore the fallout that follows. 

While The Hunger Games is another franchise that had its final installment split into two parts, its best cliffhanger ending is at the end of the sequel, Catching Fire. Katniss is rescued from the arena and taken to District 13, which was thought to be gone but is now the headquarters of the rebellion against the Capitol. When she finds out that Peeta has been taken by the Capitol and that her home, District 12, has been destroyed, a fire sparks within her to lead the rebellion in the Mockingjay films.

The John Wick films revolutionized the action genre and made Keanu Reeves a star once again. There have been plenty of sequels and spin-offs, but the most climactic ending comes at the end of John Wick: Chapter 2. When John becomes incommunicado after killing Santino D'Antonio inside the Continental, a large bounty is placed on his head, and the underworld is notified. The film ends with John being forced to go on the run as phones around him ring with the news. 

When it comes to zombie movies, the 28 Days franchise is the best it gets. 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple , the second film in a new trilogy, ends with a very familiar face returning. Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Jim, the protagonist of the original 28 Days Later from 2002. He’s still alive after all these years of the Rage virus and has a daughter. When they spot the current protagonist, Spike, being chased by the infected, they set out to help him. The final installment of the trilogy is on the way. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past forty-odd years, you’ll know that The Empire Strikes Back has one of the biggest twist endings in all of science fiction history. Luke Skywalker faces Darth Vader in a duel at Cloud City. There, Darth Vader famously reveals that he is Luke’s father after cutting off his hand. Meanwhile, Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and in Boba Fett's hands, and the rebels must come together to plan a rescue.

In 2015, Star Wars was reborn with a new trilogy for a new generation, starting with The Force Awakens. New heroes, Rey and Finn, join Han Solo, Princess Leia, and the Resistance to find Luke Skywalker, the last remaining Jedi. In the final scene, Rey reaches the planet Ahch-To, where she finds a man standing atop a cliff. The man turns around and reveals himself as Luke, and Rey offers him his lightsaber. It’s a jaw-dropping and totally exciting moment. 

The Dark Knight is the second film in Christopher Nolan’s highly acclaimed Batman trilogy. Christian Bale plays Batman, who famously faces Heath Ledger’s iconic Joker. After the Joker corrupts Gotham’s District Attorney Harvey Dent, the former good guy goes on a murderous rampage. To protect Gotham’s justice system and Dent’s reputation, Batman takes the blame and becomes a fugitive villain as he disappears into the night.  

Spider-Man: Brand New Day follows an isolated Peter Parker, forgotten by everyone he loves because of his sacrifice in the previous installment, No Way Home. His adventures in Brand New Day bring him face-to-face once again with his girlfriend MJ and best friend Ned, but they don't know Spider-Man is Peter Parker. The film ends with Peter greeting Ned with their old handshake, which seems to spark Ned’s memory as he utters Peter's name. 

M. Night Shyamalan’s Split offers a powerhouse performance from James McAvoy as Kevin, a man with twenty-three personalities. When released, the film was marketed as a standalone horror-thriller. However, the ending changes that completely. The final scene takes place in a diner where Kevin’s crimes are being shown on a TV news report. Watching is David Dunn, Bruce Willis’s character from the 2000s Unbreakable, making this a secret Unbreakable sequel. 

Most of Back to the Future Part II takes place in the future (2015, so technically the past), but its ending teases a journey back to a historically significant period. After successfully destroying Biff’s sports almanac and restoring the timeline, Doc and the DeLorean are struck by lightning and disappear. Marty McFly then receives a letter from Doc himself, telling him he is stuck in the Old West in 1885. This establishes the setting of the next film. 

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a perfect combination of hyper-stylized action and martial arts, making for one crazy ride. Uma Thurman plays the Bride, an assassin who seeks revenge on her boss, Bill, for putting her into a coma and killing her unborn child. After she defeats Bill’s Deadly Vipers squad, Bill asks Sofie Fatale, one of his assassins, whether the Bride knows her daughter is alive. This sets up the emotional core and high stakes for Kill Bill. Vol 2. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers shows Frodo and Sam arriving in Mordor on their quest to destroy the One Ring, with Gollum by their side. After the trio is released by Faramir, Gollum’s evil alter ego takes over and plots to betray the hobbits to a giant spider called Shelob, so he can keep the ring for himself. Meanwhile, Gandalf and the others win the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but Gandalf knows that the real battle is only just beginning and that Sauron will retaliate. 

In the 2000s, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were the hottest blockbusters of the moment. After the success of the original film came the sequel Dead Man’s Chest. When Jack Sparrow is swallowed by the Kraken, his crew agrees to rescue him at ‘the world’s end’, which happens to be the title of the next movie. What makes the ending even more exciting is Barbossa's surprise return, resurrected after his demise in The Curse of the Black Pearl.

John Carpenter’s Halloween is without a doubt one of the most influential horror films ever made. The slasher flick sees teen Laurie Strode and her friends terrorized by masked killer Michael Myers on Halloween night after he escapes a mental institution. The climax sees Laurie saved by Dr. Loomis as he shoots Michael, causing him to fall from the bedroom balcony. However, when they go to check the body, Michael has vanished, setting up the many sequels that follow.

The Hobbit is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings, following Bilbo Baggins and a group of dwarves as they embark on a quest to reclaim the city of Erebor and its riches from Smaug the dragon. Their journey takes them to Laketown, a community settlement near the Lonely Mountain where Smaug resides. As Bilbo and the dwarves try to escape Smaug, they unknowingly let him fly to Laketown, which he intends to wipe out with fiery fury.

John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place films take place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by deadly creatures who are blind but sensitive to sound. In A Quiet Place Part II, Evelyn and her family set out into the unknown to find other survivors. The film’s climax sees the characters discover that high-frequency audio feedback from daughter Regan’s cochlear implant has the ability to kill the monsters. They broadcast it to other survivors, finally giving them a fighting chance.

The reboot trilogy of Planet of the Apes are the best films in the entire franchise, complete with incredible motion-capture work by Andy Serkis as Caesar. In a world where apes rule and humans are nearly extinct, conflict and distrust continues to escalate between the species. After a battle between the two erupts at the end of the second movie, Caesar becomes aware that the human military will retaliate. He prepares the rest of the apes for the upcoming war, continued in War for the Planet of the Apes.

The Matrix is top-tier sci-fi, and while the sequels don't match the original's genius, they still make for an adrenaline-fueled blockbuster. In The Matrix Reloaded, Neo, a.k.a “The One”, continues to lead the rebellion against the machines that have enslaved humanity. At the end of the film and after a confrontation with the Architect, Neo discovers he has powers outside of the Matrix. Villain Agent Smith also possesses the body of resistance fighter Bane.